It's Salsa Time in the Kitchen - - - Fruit Salsa that is.

Many people have the wrong idea about salsa. They think that if it has peppers and a Spanish name, it has to be hot. Boy, are they wrong. I love the taste of all the different kinds we are going to make. I also can think of at least 10 different ways to use each one of them, other than chips & salsa.

I have already published my recipe for Strawberry Salsa. Judging from the number of people looking at that recipe every day, it is time to do more Salsa recipes. When I did the blogs about Peaches, I did not include Peach Salsa because I wanted to include it in this blog. If you missed the Strawberry Salsa blog, here is the link to it http://canucanit.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/strawberry-salsa-and-recipe/ now if you go there you have to promise to come back.

While you are looking at the Strawberry Salsa recipe think of the same recipe, just using Raspberries. Making Raspberry Salsa is very much like strawberry. The only difference is use 1/2 whole raspberries and 1/2 pureed.Salsas is canned in 16 oz. canning jars, unless stated differently. After cleaning the rims of the jars and placing a sterile dome and ring on, you have to put in a boiling water bath. The time will vary. I will let you know on each recipe.

Let's get cooking with Peach Salsa. Peaches used in this recipe are going to have to be cut into bite size pieces or smaller. That goes for Mango Salsa as well. You never want someone to get a big chunk of Peach when they are dipping into the salsa bowl. Peach pulp (any left over peach pieces ) ground up in the blender or Cuisinart and added to the salsa gives it more of a "peach flavor" in every bite. You need 8 cups of peaches (7 cups pieces + 1 cup puree'). You can use canned peaches, but fresh or frozen peaches work so much better. Here is the rest of the recipe.

8 cups peaches, 2 cups diced tomatoes, 1 cup tomato puree', 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers no seeds or membrane, 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers, no seeds or membrane, add 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or 2 tablespoons dried, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons cummin powder, 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, 1/2 tablespoon salt (canning, kosher or sea), and 3/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice. The choice is yours, but I like lime juice.

Combine all ingredients in a large heavy-duty cooking pot. Mix well, stirring completely. Bring just to a good boil for 1 minute. Make sure you stir while cooking. Salsa sticks very easily. Scorched salsa tastes bad. Also by stirring deeply you will allow everything to "marry". That means the flavors blend together. Ladle into prepared canning jars. After cleaning the rim on the jar place sterile domes then rings. Finger tighten and process jars in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from water and let cool on racks or towels overnight. Check for unsealed jars. Do not reprocess these jars, this will make your salsa soggy. Get out the chips or put into the refrigerator and use first. Cooking such a short time will let your salsa keep a crisp taste.

Mango Salsa is very much like Peach Salsa, So much alike that you can use the same recipe for both. Just put in mangoes every time I wrote peach. If you take a spoon and scrape the pit you will get more mango. Just add this to the mango that is going to be pureed. Process the same way.

Pineapple Salsa You don't have to use fresh pineapple (but it does taste better). A good brand of canned pineapple will work just fine. Drain the juice and save for the next time you are making punch. You will need 6 cups diced pineapple and 2 cups crushed (canned is fine also).

Pineapple Salsa is great to eat with chips, but better to cook with.

8 cups pineapple (6 +2), 2 cups diced tomatoes, 1 cup diced and seeded bell peppers (mix red and green), 1/2 cup seeded and diced jalapeno' peppers, 1 cup corn syrup (or use the drained juice and boil with 1 cup sugar), 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/2 cup diced red onions
Combine all ingredients in a large cooking pot. Mix ingredients well. Bring to a good boil for 1 minute. Make sure you stir all the salsa not just the top part. Salsa sticks very easy and scorched salsa tastes bad. Ladle into prepared canning jars (16 oz. works best). After cleaning the rim on the jar place sterile domes then rings. Finger tighten and process jars in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from water and let cool on racks or towels overnight. Check for unsealed jars. Don't recook the unsealed jars.

Next is one that I bet you have never heard of. Cranberry/Orange Salsa. You need all fresh fruit for this one, no canned or bottled. Fresh is needed to make this the best possible. You will be glad you did not substitute when you taste the flavor.

2 pounds fresh cranberries, wash well, 2 apples cut into pieces with no seeds, 2 oranges, (cut whole oranges into pieces, yes you use the rind and peel),, 4 cups sugar and 4 jalapeno' peppers seeded and minced. Using a food processor or cuisinart chop together the cranberries, apples and oranges. Combine your chopped mix with the peppers in a large cooking pot. Bring to a boil, then cut the heat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Stirring all the time. Put into canning jars (8 ounce or 16 ounce) clean rims and put on sterile domes and rings. Process 10 minutes. Check for unsealed jars. This salsa may be reprocessed.

When you are ready to eat this, it goes great as a side dish for ham, chicken or turkey. Mixed with sour cream it becomes a killer dip. Use on crackers with small bites of chicken, ham or turkey. I am sure that you will love this one. Our customers went crazy when we sampled it.


Mixed Fruit Salsa is our last recipe but not the least. Mix 1/2 cup mild peppers, Serrano or canned green chilies or any other mild pepper you might like, 1 cup chopped orange segments (no seeds, peel or membrane), add 1/2 cup lime juice, 1 1/2 cups pineapple chopped into small bits (fresh or canned, no juice), 1 cup diced cantaloupe, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or 1 tablespoon dried cilantro, add 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (chopped real fine), and finally 1 cup corn syrup. Mix all ingredients in large cooking pot. Bring to a boil for about 1 minute.Then ladle into prepared canning jars and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool over night. Check for unsealed jars, they can be reprocessed. This salsa is great on many foods and great on pound cake as a dessert.

I have run out of space for this blog, but still have more recipes. If you are interested in recipes for: Lemon Garlic Salsa, Lemon Salsa (killer on fish), Lime Salsa, Watermelon Salsa or Wine/Mint Salsa (for lamb) just e-mail me for a copy.

A note about Salsa. Just this weekend I had another person's Pineapple Salsa at a party. It was all blended smooth, with no chunks of tomato or pineapple, no pieces of pepper. It was a good tasting salsa, but I missed the taste this recipe gives you. If you prefer a smooth salsa, puree or blend til smooth before cooking. The difference is huge. But you decide according to your families' tastes. You should try to make a different type of salsa occasionally. There are so many things to pick from and so many ways to cook them.

My blog about traditional tomato types of salsa will be following soon.

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